About Us

Mission

Providing robust disaster mitigation, response, recovery, and public outreach to our member jurisdictions to prepare, prevent, plan, respond, and recover from emergencies. The Yakima Valley Office of Emergency Management develops, maintains, and implements plans and procedures to coordinate emergency operations in cooperation with governmental, non-governmental, and private sector partners.

Organizational Structure

The Yakima Valley Office of Emergency Management is governed by the Yakima County Emergency Services Council consisting of all three County Commissioners, and the mayor of each member jurisdiction. From that council, an Emergency Services Executive Board oversees the operations of the office. The executive board is comprised of a County Commissioner, four mayors, the Sheriff and the Emergency Management Director. The executive board meets quarterly to provide oversight and direction to the office. The full council is convened annually.

Our History

January 9, 1957, the Yakima County Civil Defense Council (consisting of the 14 communities in the County and the County Commissioners) approved a mutual aid pact by which the communities would assist each other in the event of a disaster. The council agreed each jurisdiction would contribute 25 cents per resident to support the County Civil Defense Office.

By 1983 the County Civil Defense Office was transformed by the County Emergency Service Council into the Yakima Valley Office of Emergency Management. The updated agency was assigned additional collateral duties that included grant work, first responder training, and disaster planning. The office also serves as the coordinating agency with the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Washington State Emergency Management Division.